Choices
by Alex Warlorn
Summary: POV Ash. What does Ash think about each time he lets one of his Pok'e Mon go? What does Misty think of him?


choices.html "That's it!" She yells after hours of silence on the road, the setting sun creating a myriad of shadows and golden light around us, her face is a tint redder than it should be her eyes locked on me as if I was fool who had just tried to   
jump off a cliff.   
"Huh?" I respond in confusion. We two are all who are present on the empty dirt road. He, had gone back to take care of his family, leaving me on the journey with her.   
"That's it! I can't take it anymore~!" She says, using that voice of anger and frustration she had used only on two occasion. The first when Togepi got lost that one time and she blamed the closest thing in straggling rang which   
happened to me. And the second was when she told me 'not to just stand there and let Rudy beat me.' Though I played stupid when Rudy told me what I had also won that day, I was glade Misty had decided to stay. My pride won't   
even let me think how I feel about her. Me. Ash Ketechum, Orange League Champ, in love. It's just after seeing how he acts around women so often, I begin to wonder, do I really know what love is? My inner reflection on the   
subject is shattered, when she continues.   
"How could you let Squrtle go like that? Every time your PokÈmon get strong enough where they actually do some good you just let them go! Nessie, Charizard! There must be a god Ash Ketechum because it's only though   
divine will that you could of made it this far!"   
"Misty . . ." I whisper. "You . . . you where there when I released Butterfree, I saw the look in your eyes. I thought you were proud of me." I try meekly to defend myself.   
"I supported you every time you did it because I was hoping you'd realize on your own that what your doing was stupid! Because that's what it is Ash Ketechum: stupid, stupid, stupid! You let your PokÈmon go to people you   
barely know. You release them back into the wild without a second thought! How can you just let your highest level PokÈmon go!? You want to know why all your battles are hard? BECAUSE YOU LET ALL YOUR STRONG   
POK"E MON GO!!!" Her voice echoed though the surroundings woods. I stare back at her, my face betraying no expression. She was serious surprised when I don't break down, or yell back at her like I always do. I would really feel   
better if I was yelling at her, I have a feeling she would too. The silence is so thick I could feel it on my skin.   
"I let them go because it's there choice to stay with me, not mine. I never forced any of them to go against their will. Not Butterfree not Haunter, not Squrtle, not even Charizard, I don't OWN them Misty. I can't   
own friends. If Charizard, when he was disobedient decided to just fly off I wouldn't of stopped him. I'll be damned before I keep a PokÈmon that sees me as a Master and not a friend." She hasn't expected that kind of conviction,   
the only time she had ever heard me use it was when I gave my usual vow about becoming the world's greatest PokÈmon Master. Kinda funny when you think about it huh?   
She looks at me in the eye, burning with frustration.   
"If ALL your PokÈmon wanted out would you let them?"   
She asks pushing my point to the extreme in Her attempt to make me rethink my position.   
But the answer comes as naturally as a reaction.   
"Yes."   
She looks at me in shock and confusion. Then I ask a question.   
"Wouldn't you?"   
She stutters, her mouth moves but no words to come out, she tries to look at me with anger, but it comes out shame. How often, I wonder, has she beaten on Psyduck for being such a useless PokÈmon, and then treated Togepi   
(whose equally awesome power was just as unreliable) as if she was her own daughter? Misty had said again and again she was always kind to PokÈmon, water types in particular. Her eyes become dreamy as the mention of a   
Tenticruel or most any water type. But then she screams her lungs out as anything remotely resembling a bug type. I think her own self delusions shattered about then, they wern't so much about her PokÈmon, but about her relationship with each of them. Mine had shattered long before, but it had been with each PokÈmon separately, Pikachu and that herd that had offered him membership, Bulbasuar deciding not to evolve. She was having go though them all at the same time, and it was shown in her body language. She was now asking herself   
the same question she had asked me. And the majority of the answers were coming out, 'no'. And by that answer, she realized, that she had no right to be their trainer. I'll admit right now that I'm not perfect by any Stretch of imagination, no one is, I've dragged Pika' Chu into battles before, often the ones where he lost, the ones with AJ and Lt. Surge to be exact, I'm glade I learned my lesson in at least that by the time I fought Blaine, or Pikachu would be dead now. I gave Primape to that fighting type trainer because I'm of those people who thinks they can judge a person only after just meeting them. And knew Primape would become stronger under him before I could. I know a lot of people who would laugh at that. And to be blunt: I don't care.   
Now it was her turn to offer a meek defense.   
"But . . . you can't be a trainer without PokÈmon. Ash, we're poke' Mon Trainers first and foremost. We've dedicated our lives to this, it's our drive and direction. We have no skills beyond the tournaments. What about your   
dream about being the world's great PokÈmon Master?"   
"I'd rather give that up, than attain it knowing I had gained it by forcing my friends against their will to fight."   
"Ash this is madness! Your a PokÈmon trainer! And a trainer without PokÈmon isn't a trainer at all! I'm starting to think Gary was right about you! You ARE no trainer!" Her voice encoded unchallenged around us.   
"Your right Misty." I say at last. She surprised to hear me actually agree with her. "I'm not a trainer. I haven't been since that day I offered Pikachu to be with his own kind. I'm not their trainer Misty, and neither should you. Or   
you'll wake up one morning and find out your surrounded by living creatures you've treated as pets, and not friends. I'm not a PokÈmon trainer   
Misty, I'm just . . . a friend." I had been looking at my feet this entire time, wait for her to scream at me, I was actually hoping she would hit me on the head with that mallet of hers. I would of been better than this silence.   
I look up to see her squatting near the road side, she holding up one of her Pok'e balls, I can guess it's Psyduck's. Her hand is shaking, the look in her eyes one of doubt, doubt of everything she had been taught as a trainer,   
doubt of the order of things.   
When I began my journey, I thought that Pocket Monsters lived for the thrill of battle. In spit of what some have thought, of what some had said. I had grown, I had changed, and now I realized humans and PokÈmon were part of   
a whole, but not necessarily that of the tournaments, I had seen Lilly Water Flower's Dewdog evolve from swimming practice and not battling, of a Blossom trainer who had taught her PokÈmon to dance not fight. Fighting had   
been just one facet, one that had over shadowed the others. (thanks to the money racked in not just from the tournaments themselves but the merchandising as well. I grew up away from the major cities, heck, I had never stepped outside Pallet until my journey started, so the Leauge become some idealistic to me, I never stopped to think very deep on the subject).   
I don't know their name or call, but I know they're out there, and I plan to met them all. I didn't go on my journey to collect PokÈmon or win battles Misty, maybe that's why I started, but now my reason is more profound. I   
don't go on this journey to be a victor, I go on this journey, to learn. 

In the original third season music, it had 'I don't know your name or call, but I know your out there, and I plan to met you all.' not 'it's a brand new world we live in, but you still gotta catch them all.' In fact, 'gotta catch them all'   
wasn't even the lyrics. 

Flames, comments, reviews, all welcome.   



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